Mobile sites and application testing

At this time, the standards for mobile sites and apps are the same as for desktop sites and apps--that is, they must comply with the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), level AA.

WCAG 2.1 introduced four guidelines that specifically address accessibility in mobile devices:

However, WCAG still does not address many aspects of mobile accessibility, and we recommend additional testing, as described below.

WCAG-based accessibility testing checklists

Of the few mobile-specific checklists available, either of these will help you meet WCAG 2.1 guidelines:

BBC Mobile Accessibility Guidelines: a checklist for complying with WCAG 2.1, but with many mobile-specific details
Paul J. Adam's Mobile Accessibility QA Testing Checklist - based on WCAG 2.0 but still relevant

However, you should do additional, mobile-specific testing as well to ensure mobile applications and sites work with mobile accessibility features like VoiceOver and TalkBack, VoiceControl and Voice Access, grayscale, magnification and zoom, and more.

ASU Mobile Site and Native App Accessibility Testing Guidelines

The ASU IT Accessibility team is currently developing the ASU Mobile Site and Native Application Accessibility Testing Guidelines, based in large part on the proposed updates to the ICT Testing Symposium's Mobile Site and Native App Accessibility Testing Guidelines.

These are currently incomplete and in draft phase, so please use with caution.

If you'd like to contribute to the first version of these guidelines, please contact us. Suggestions and advice are also warmly welcome.

There is relatively little research and documentation on mobile accessibility, particularly on native mobile applications.

Resources

Free Mobile Accessibility Testing Tools

Android

iOS

Slack

Accessibility Connections

For accessibility in online learning and education, join the UDAT working group.
Connect with us on ASU's #accessibility Slack channel.
Subscribe to ASU's ITACCESS mailing list.